Choosing to Celebrate – Choose Why, How, and Well

Choices

How to celebrate! Every day, we make choices. Sometimes they are based on convenience, and sometimes on conviction. Sometimes our choices are based on preference or belief. Many times, they are based on tradition or memories. Think about that when you plan your celebration this year.

Choose why you celebrate.

Each family has its own celebrations. There are stories behind our traditions and reasons we choose to celebrate the way we do. Sometimes the reasons are real and genuine, and sometimes we are just following past traditions without any rhyme or reason.

When you choose the way you celebrate, consider first your Why. Are you doing this because it is meaningful to your family, because you want to establish your own traditions, or because you are following or copying others?

When we take the time to consider why we are doing something, it opens our eyes to what matters most to us.

Choose how you celebrate.

Once you consider the reasons you have to celebrate, you can choose How to best celebrate the season -or any occasion. The people in your life matter more than events, schedules, and things. While cookie baking can be fun, gift giving can be delightful, and participating in events can be exhilarating; however, if an activity wears us down and wears us out, then it’s no cause for celebration, is it?

Think ahead to where you want to be and how you want to feel at the end of the season, then plan accordingly. It really is okay to do things differently than you have done them in the past. It’s alright to change your traditions to something new when it completes the purpose of providing a meaningful season for your family.

Sometimes there is not enough money to do all we’d like to do. We might need to skip some events because of the cost. Choose how you will spend what you have to help your family experience a great time even if money is low.

Choose to celebrate well.

At the end of the day – and at the end of the season – you’ll want to be able to look back and feel good about how you spent your time, your money, and your energy. You’ll want your family to understand that the most important celebration of all is the birth of our Savior.  His birth was lowly; his parents were poor; there was stigma surrounding His conception. Yet, the Why mattered most. It should matter most to us as well.

When we go back to the real cause for celebration, that first Christmas, we will choose why, how, and well. When we help our family understand the true meaning of Christmas, we are unraveling the greatest Mystery of all. In this season, that is what matters most of all.

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